Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche

This fabulous Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche is healthy, hearty and super delicious. It comes together quickly and is a great way to use up leftover ham (or just purchase a chunk of ham from the deli)!

I've had Southwestern cuisine on my mind ever since we spent a few weeks in Phoenix, earlier this spring. It was a wonderful time, spending time with family along with lots of culinary inspiration. We'll be sharing a few more recipes over the next couple of weeks that are the result of that fun trip, one of them being this delicious Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche.

It's super easy to throw together, is a great way to use up leftover ham and makes a fabulous breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Healthy and hearty

Although we really enjoy quiches with a nice crisp crust, like this Easy Zucchini Summer Quiche, it's really nice to be able to cut back on carbs a bit without compromising delicious flavor.

Healthy and hearty

This Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche is hearty and satisfying with lots of lean protein. It also incorporates zucchini, which is rich in vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds. The recipe also includes lots of diced green chilis which also contain a surprising number of health benefits such as antioxidants, vitamins and the ability to help speed up metabolism.

Green chilis are mild so this isn't a spicy dish, but they give this Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche delicious South-of-the-Border flavor and pair fabulously with the sharp white cheddar cheese. You can find canned, mild green chilis in the international aisle of any larger grocery store in the Hispanic section.

How to serve this Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche

We've enjoyed this quiche for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For breakfast, it's nice served with some fresh fruit on the side. If you want to serve an extra special breakfast, make a batch of these Raspberry Scones or these Ridiculously Easy Buttermilk Biscuits. For lunch or a casual dinner, we really enjoy pairing this quiche with a simple green salad drizzled with this Spicy Cilantro Lime Dressing or this Sweet and Spicy Mango Dressing.

This Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche reheats nicely, but it's also delicious served cold, making it perfect for quick breakfasts on the run as well as work/school lunches.

The ease of crustless quiche

If you're intimidated by the idea of making quiche, you need to try this Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche! Crustless quiches are amazingly easy to make because, as the name suggests, there's no fussing with the crust. Just layer the ingredients in the pan, whisk together the egg mixture and pour it over the top. Then bake until it's nicely done and... enjoy! Super easy, super delicious!

The only real concern with this Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche is making sure the zucchini doesn't exude a lot of moisture during baking, making the quiche watery, bland and unattractive. That's an easy solution though... before you do anything else, simply slice the zucchini nice and thin, sprinkle it with a bit of salt then place the salted zucchini in a sieve. You'll be shocked at how much liquid is released while you proceed with the recipe! The salt draws the water out of the zucchini (osmosis) rendering it perfect for this crustless quiche recipe.

Feel like you're in a cooking rut? Put this Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche on the menu this week. It's easy to put together, unique and super delish!

Café Tips for making this Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche

• Don't skip the step of salting and draining the zucchini. Zucchini is loaded with water and makes for a soggy quiche if you don't take this easy step.
• This recipe calls for diced green chilies. Green chiles can be found in small cans in the international aisle of most larger grocery stores in the area that stocks Mexican and Hispanic ingredients.
• This Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche rewarms well. I use low power (30-40%) in the microwave to slowly warm it without drying it out or making it tough.
• If your zucchini is large, cut it in half (lengthwise) before thinly slicing.
• This recipe works well with leftover ham. If you don't have leftover ham, you can purchase a chunk (or thick slices) of ham in the deli section of the grocery store. I like to use a smoky ham for this recipe. Boars Head makes a great smoky ham called Bold Bourbon Ridge Uncured Smoked Ham.
• If you don't live in the United States, you might not be familiar with half and half. It's an American convenience product often used for coffee. It's simply half milk and half cream. You could also use whole milk for this recipe instead.

Thought for the day:

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being,
praise His holy name.
Psalm 103:1

What we're listening to for inspiration:

10,000 Reasons

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Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche

Chris Scheuer

This fabulous Southwestern Zucchini Ham Crustless Quiche is healthy, hearty and super delicious. It comes together quickly and is a great way to use up leftover ham (or just purchase a chunk of ham from the deli)!

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings 8 servings

Calories 187

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

.5x1x2x

• 1 medium-size zucchini
• 8 ounces canned mild green chilies, well-drained (I use 2 4-ounce cans)
• 1 ¼ cups diced smokey ham, (diced fairly small)
• 1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• 5 large eggs
• ¾ cup half and half
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray a 9-inch quiche pan or baking dish generously with non-stick baking spray.
2. Slice the zucchini thinly and place in a sieve set in the sink or over a bowl. Sprinkle the zucchini with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and toss with your hands. Allow to drain for 15-20 minutes then rinse the zucchini under cool running water. Transfer the slices to a clean kitchen towel and pat dry.
3. Combine the drained green chilies, the ham, the zucchini and the cheese in a medium-size bowl. Stir gently to combine. Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan.
4. Combine the eggs, half and half oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl or measuring up and stir vigorously with a fork or whisk until well combined.
5. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the filling working your way around the pan.
6. Bake the quiche for 25-35 minutes or until the top is light golden and the filling is set. Let the quiche sit for 5 minutes to allow ingredients to set. Serve warm. This quiche can be made a day ahead, cooled and refrigerated. Before serving, rewarm in a 325˚F oven for 15-20 minutes or microwave individual pieces on power level 4 for 2-3 minutes or until warmed all the way through.

Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.

If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.

If you don’t live int the United States, half and half is an American convenience product often used for coffee. It’s simply half milk and half cream

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 13gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 665mgPotassium: 152mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 495IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 198mgIron: 1mg

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Course: Main

Cuisine: French, French-American, Southwestern